Pee-wee Herman: Cabazon Dinosaur Seen in Big Adventure Repainted in Honor of Paul Reubens

One of the massive model dinosaurs seen in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure has been repainted in honor of the late Paul Reubens, who played the title character of Pee-wee Herman. Reubens, one of the most beloved comedians of his generation, passed away on Sunday, July 30, at 70 years old. The tyrannosaurus rex, now wearing a grey suit and red bow tie like Pee-wee, is one of the Cabazon Dinosaurs, formerly Claude Bell’s Dinosaurs. It’s one of two huge, steel-and-concrete dinosaurs seen at the roadside attraction, which opened in 1975.

The Cabazon dinosaurs are best known for their appearance in 1985’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which helped make the attraction widely known outside of California. Denise Kanter, who owns and operates the attraction, said the dinosaur (whose name is Mr. Rex) will be in “Pee-wee mode” through October, before the site switches to its Christmas theming.

“When someone passes away, you have to be considerate of how you approach that situation,” Kanter is quoted as saying in the Desert Sun. “I was thinking, ‘Well, what do we do? Do we (do) something or don’t do something?’ Then I felt with requests coming from customers and interest on behalf of news organizations, we must do something.”

You can see the repainted dinosaur below.

Reubens launched “The Pee-wee Herman Show” in LA’s Roxy Theater in the early 1980s, after infamously getting rejected from Saturday Night Live (who gave Reubens’ slot on the cast to comedian Gilbert Gottfried that year). After selling out both late-night shows (for adults) and matinees (for kids), HBO featured The Pee-wee Herman Show on their uncensored stand-up series On Location. Reubens leaned into playing Pee-wee in public outings, appearing in movies like the Cheech & Chong films before getting his own film, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, in 1985. Big Adventure made $40.9 million on a $7 million budget and gained a big cult following for Pee-wee Herman, leading to CBS developing Pee-wee’s Playhouse with Reubens as a live-action children’s program. Pee-wee’s Playhouse ran from 1986-1991 and became Reubens’ biggest success and most legacy in the entertainment industry, winning 15 Emmy Awards, inspiring generations of children, and even helping launch the careers of actors like Laurence Fishburne. 

“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” Reubens wrote, in a note shared to his Instagram account on Monday. “I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”